Lambeth

Lambeth's population expanded in the decade to 2011. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure, religion and ethnicity.

The population passed 300,000

In the decade leading up to the most recent census, the population of Lambeth increased by 14%, from about 266,000 to 303,000.

The addition of almost 37,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Lambeth was home to, on average, 81 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Rise in private renting

Census 2011 data also show a housing tenure change in Lambeth.

The percentage of households in Lambeth that rented privately increased from 20% in 2001 to 29% in 2011.

In 2011, just over one in three (35%) households lived in social housing, compared with 41% in 2001. The percentage of Lambeth households that owner their home decreased from 37% to 33%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 15% in 2001 to 25% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Lambeth increased by 9.6 percentage points

Percentage of households in Lambeth, London and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Lambeth

The number of people in Lambeth that described themselves as Christian remained close to 160,000 between the last two seasons. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 59% to 53%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across London (from 58% to 48%) and the average across England (from 72% to 59%).

The number of people in Lambeth that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 58,000 in 2001 to just under 85,000 in 2011 (from 22% to 28%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from about 29,000 to about 27,000 (from 11% to 8.7%).

About 22,000 people (5.4%) said they were Muslim, up from about 14,000 in 2001 (7.1%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Christian in Lambeth decreased by 5.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Lambeth by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Lambeth

The number of people in Lambeth from the White ethnic groups remained close to 170,000 between the last two seasons. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 62% to 57%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across London (from 71% to 60%) and the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Lambeth from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from about 69,000 in 2001 to just under 79,000 in 2011. Both of these figures represented about 26% of the total population at the time of the 2001 and 2011 censuses. The number of residents from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed) increased from about 13,000 to about 23,000 (from 4.8% to 7.6%).

Just under 21,000 people (5.8%) said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from just under 16,000 in 2001 (6.9%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the White ethnic groups in Lambeth decreased by 5.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Lambeth by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Lambeth residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 8.2% to 4.7% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (85%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 72% in 2001. The percentage of Lambeth residents that described their health as fair decreased from 20% to 10%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Lambeth decreased by 3.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Lambeth, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in rate of self-employment

The percentage of Lambeth residents that were self-employed increased from 8.6% to 11% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under 6 in 10 (56%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 53% in 2001. The percentage of Lambeth residents that were unemployed decreased from 6.1% to 6.0%.

The proportion of self-employed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 9.0% in 2001 to 12% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 8.2% to 9.7%.

The rate of self-employment in Lambeth increased by 2.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Lambeth, London and England that said they were self-employed, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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